1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to moisture removing devices and dehumidifying structures. More specifically, the present invention relates to a moisture absorbing device and a moisture removing case that can be used to reset the device for subsequent use.
On average each person perspires upwards of four cups of water every day. When a person sleeps they perspire on average one to two cups of water. To reduce perspiration and to eliminate saturating clothing or bedding, it is critical to maintain dry air in and around the personal environment of the perspiring user. A dry ambient environment is the most critical factor to reducing body perspiration. Removing moisture from personal environments is a market that is underdeveloped. The need for personal dehumidification is present when the air in an enclosed personal environment needs to be removed of excessive moisture such that the air therein can be made more comfortable for the user, thereby creating a drier atmosphere to reduce the user's body perspiration. Personal environments of interest include enclosed areas under bedding material, volumes within sleeping bags, and any other personal enclosure in which an interior volume is substantially enclosed and the user is encased in a material layer.
Sleep is obviously one of the most critical components of everyone's life. Trying to get a better night sleep is something most desire. Surveys show one of the biggest factors contributing to poor sleep is night sweats. According to the International Hyperhidrosis Society, a recent study of 2,267 people showed 41% of the studied population experience night sweats. Night sweats occur as a result of a number of conditions, including menopause, prescription induced side effects (antidepressants being the largest contributor), stress, and illness and disease.
Those who suffer from night sweats often make the night sweat worse by pulling more covers over themselves because they feel cold as a result of evaporative cooling from the perspiration. The natural reaction is to apply more blankets to maintain a comfortable body temperature. However, this reaction traps humidity under the blankets and exacerbates the problem. The perspiration becomes greater and the user quickly becomes saturated and uncomfortable, as the moisture cannot escape the bedding material and is trapped therein. This same cycle and result is often found with those utilizing sleeping bags. Sleeping bags are generally used in colder environments, so sweating creates even greater discomfort to the person.
Some products exist on the market to reduce night sweating. These devices range from moisture wicking clothing and blankets, to fans that push ambient air into a personal enclosure. The drawback of these devices is they have not addressed the root cause of perspiration within a small personal enclosure, which is maintaining a dry internal environment about the individual within the small personal environment such that perspiration can be naturally dissipated from the person.
All users will perspire to some degree while sleeping, and will do so more in a personal enclosure such as a blanket or sleeping bag. The key aspect to maintaining a dry personal enclosure is removal of humidity from the air within the enclosure and around the user (i.e. the air within the personal environment). Removing moisture from the air such that it is as dry as possible will reduce the perspiration level of individual, remove moisture developed moisture, and eliminate an otherwise saturated interior while sleeping. Maintaining the air within a personal enclosure naturally removes perspiration from the user.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned limitations in the art by providing for a personal dehumidification system that is configured to provide a personal dehumidifying device for a personal environment, and furthermore provide a means of resetting and reusing the device thereafter. Specifically, the device comprises a structure supporting reusable moisture absorbing material, which is configured to remove moisture from personal environments such that an individual's perspiration can be dissipated within the personal environment. Small personal environments include those enclosures in which a user resides for a period of time for rest, including blanket covered environments, bedding enclosures, and sleeping bags.
After a period of use, the device is placed within a recharging unit, which comprises an enclosure that removes moisture from the personal dehumidifying device such that it can be re-used to once again absorb moisture in the personal environment. The present invention addresses perspiration within a personal environment by reducing the humidity of the air within the user's small personal environment, resulting in less perspiration accumulating on the user's body. The device can thereafter be treated and reused after moisture is released from the device in the recharging unit. The recharging unit is an electrically powered heating compartment that releases collected moisture from the device such that the device can be thereafter be removed and reused.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to condensation management devices and systems for removing moisture from enclosed environments. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to mattress pads and cushions, or to forced air systems for removing moisturized air. The present invention relates to a reusable moisture absorbing device and system, whereby the device is deployed within an enclosed sleeping environment to absorb moisture, and thereafter conditioned by the system for reuse. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
One such device in the prior art is U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0000207 to Parish, which discloses a condensation management system for use while sleeping that comprises a mattress pad distribution layer that distributes cooled or warmed air through channels therein. The air is pushed, pulled, or recirculated by an attached air conditioning control system that is coupled to the mattress pad and adjacent to the bed. The Parish device works by air movement within a personal environment and is well adapted for use at home. However, the Parish device fails to contemplate a device that absorbs moisture and can be used independently of a power source when deployed. The present invention uses power merely to recharge the personal dehumidifying device after a period of use.
Similar to Parish is U.S. Pat. No. 7,975,331 to Flocard, which comprises a cushion for a mattress that includes an air injection port and an air supply device forcing air through the device and away from a user resting thereon. The cushion allows moisture from the user to permeate through the upper layer and be drawn away by the air movement within the device. While providing a unique method of evaporative cooling and for removing moisture from a user, the device similarly requires a continual powers source and an air supply device. The present invention is a passive personal dehumidifying device that is temporarily used, recharged using a powered dehumidifier, and then reused within an enclosed environment.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0245790 to Castro discloses a night sweat pad that is configured to wick sweat away from a sleeping user. The device comprises a moisture absorbent filler sandwiched between an upper moisture permeable layer and a bottom cloth sheet. The pad forms a pillow and a surface upon which the user rests upon. In contrast, the present invention comprises a moisture absorbing device that is placed within an enclosure, whereby the device is not required to be contact with the user. The device absorbs moisture from the environment, drawing it inward and trapping it within its interior. The Castro device is a wicking device that requires contact with the user. Moreover, the present invention contemplates a recharging unit that can dry the personal dehumidifying device of the present invention after each use.
The present invention is a personal dehumidification system that comprises a dehumidification device and a recharging unit for the device, whereby the device is employed within enclosed sleeping environments or the like to remove moisture therefrom. The dehumidification device comprises a connected arrangement of desiccant casings, whereby reusable desiccant material is supported within the interior of each of the casings. The recharging unit is a housing having an electric heating element, an insulated construction, and a layer of moisture wicking material to prevent moisture from being re-absorbed by the device as it is being recharged therein. Moisture is removed from the moisture absorbing material and moisture is released therefrom for redeployment. In this way, the system provides a means to remove moisture from enclosed environments and reuse the device thereafter.
It is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing moisture removal systems. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.